From Chemotherapy to Immunotherapy: How Anti-Cancer Drugs Are Evolving

Tiny microscopic cells in the human body perform cell division to grow and reproduce. But when there is an obstruct in this procedure, they convert into aberrant cells. These cells are known as cancer cells. Cancer cells are abnormally dividing cells causing multiple irregularity in cell and body functions. To treat this condition, there are multiple cancer therapies are available, including chemotherapy, targeted gene therapy, hormonal therapy, and radiation therapy. Among these, chemotherapy is the most prevalent and needed treatment option.

Elaborately, chemotherapy is an anticancer drug treatment. It uses heavy drugs to kill the targeted cancer cells and prevents their further progression to other body parts. Doctors also prescribe Chemotherapy to patients to shrink the tumor size and control symptoms. It has given one to multiple cycles to patients depending on various factors, including cancer stage diagnosis, medical history, and body response to the drugs. It is also given alone or in combination with other therapies to increase treatment effectiveness. Despite all the advantages, chemotherapy has so many drawbacks. Let's discuss them briefly.

Limitations of Chemotherapy: Why Change was Needed

Chemotherapy is the most popular and efficient method of cancer treatment. Doctors prescribe these heavy drugs either before or after a surgical procedure, which also depends on the patient's condition. It may be given as an IV, capsule, or tablet, or administered as an injection. This drug enters the body via the veins and kills the cancer cells. Despite many advantages in the treatment of cancer, it has many more limitations. The use of heavy drugs makes this treatment highly potent and harsh for the body. The drawbacks of using chemotherapy medicines are listed here:
• Chemo drugs attack and kill all the rapidly dividing cells, not only cancer cells. It also damages the normal cells.
• These drugs cause mild to severe side effects, such as nausea, hair loss, fatigue, infection, and anemia.
• Chemotherapy offers short-term control of cancer cells rather than long-term survival and cure.
• It affects the overall quality of the patient's life and causes psycho-associated effects on mental health.
• Slow-growing tumors, such as brain tumors, show less response to chemotherapy.
• Some cancers also become resistant to chemotherapy drugs.
• Due to the use of heavy, potent drugs it may cause toxicity in the body.

These limitations shift the research toward new and more cell-targeted treatments. What we need is more precise drugs and therapies which can attack cancer cells specifically or stimulate immune cells in such a way, so that it kills the abnormal growing cells. Recent research is focusing on such treatment which can provide all the considerations in one with lesser side effects, high effectiveness, and improved patients survival rate.
Research has advanced the current cancer treatment options, including;
• Targeted gene therapies that attack and kill specific cancer cells.
• A medication used in immunotherapy that strengthens and enhances the immune system to combat cancer.

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The Rise of Immunotherapy in Cancer Treatment

Currently, immunotherapy has evolved as a groundbreaking advanced research in cancer treatment options that offer new hope to patients. Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that strengthens the body's defense system to identify, target, and eliminate the cancer cells. Unlike chemotherapy, which targets all rapidly dividing cells, immunotherapy specifically modifies the immune response to target cancer more accurately. This is where chemotherapy has fallen short.
Many breakthrough advantages of Immunotherapy’s have led them to reach the top.
• Fewer Side Effects: Immunotherapy shows fewer and milder side effects than other cancer therapies.
• More Targeted: It is more targeted than chemotherapy and kills the cancer cells without any harm to healthy cells.
• Long-Term Responses: It is quite helpful in the treatment of advanced-stage cancer and best treatment for long-term survival.
• Effective in difficult to treat Cancers: It has shown effective outcome in cancers like melanoma, lung cancer, and some blood cancers where other therapies failed.

Types of Immunotherapy: CAR T-Cell, Monoclonal Antibodies and More

Each type of immunotherapy has its strengths, limitations, and areas of use. The choice of therapy depends on the cancer type, stage, and the patient's medical history. The different types of immunotherapies are discussed below:
A. Checkpoint Inhibitors: This type of immunotherapy blocks the specific proteins (like PD-1, PD-L1, CTLA-4) that distract immune cells from attacking cancer. By blocking, the immune systems get activated and begins to kill the cancer cells. This therapy is quite useful in the treatment of Melanoma, lung cancer, and bladder cancer.

B. CAR T-Cell Therapy: It is a type of specifically personalized treatment that uses genetically modified T-cells to recognize and kill cancer cells. This therapy is used in certain types of blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. Neurological toxicity and cytokine release syndrome (CRS) are possible side effects of this treatment.

C. Cancer Vaccines: These Vaccines stimulate the immune system to recognize and attack specific cancer antigens. It is widely used in treatment of prostate cancer and as preventive vaccine in HPV.

D. Monoclonal Antibodies: These are synthetic proteins that attach themselves to particular antigens found on the outside of cancer cells. These monoclonal antibodies effectively treat breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and lymphoma.

Chemotherapy vs Immunotherapy

If we compare immunotherapy with chemotherapy, it is possible to conclude that immunotherapy is much better than chemotherapy based on various aspects. Because it kills cancer cells without harming healthy ones, it is very specific or selective. However, not all cancers respond well to immunotherapy treatment. A healthcare professional decides the treatment by considering different factors, including the patient's cancer stage, diagnosed cancer, and response.
While chemotherapy remains an important tool in cancer treatment, with pain and temporary options with less effectiveness, immunotherapy shifts toward more precise and potentially longer-lasting treatment options. Additionally, to eliminate the cancer cells and increase the effectiveness of the treatment, immunotherapy and chemotherapy are occasionally combined.

Combination Therapies: A Modern Approach to Fighting Cancer

In modern oncology treatment, combination therapies are an important and powerful strategy to make cancer treatment more effective. Instead of using single therapy, this approaches combine two or more therapies and use them to recognize and kill the cancer cells more effectively and accurately.

Combination therapies involve a combination of different cancer therapies.
• Chemotherapy + Immunotherapy
• Targeted Therapy + Radiation
• Immunotherapy + Targeted Therapy
• Multiple Immunotherapies (e.g., checkpoint inhibitors + CAR T-cell therapy)

Combination therapies have a lot of advantages, including:
• It can shrink tumors more effectively than using one alone.
• Resistant cancer cells will surely respond to another therapy.
• Lower doses of each drug in combination will also reduce side effects with increased effectiveness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the basic difference between chemotherapy and immunotherapy?
While immunotherapy encourages the immune system to target and eliminate cancer cells, chemotherapy uses strong medications to destroy cancer cells.

Q. Can cancer be treated by combining immunotherapy and chemotherapy?
Yes, they are both given as combination drugs for treating cancer cells and also to increase treatment effectiveness.

Q. Which treatment has fewer adverse effects on patients: Immunotherapy or Chemotherapy?
Immunotherapy generally shows fewer side effects than chemotherapy.

Q. Is immunotherapy an effective treatment for all types of cancer?
No, being highly specific, Immunotherapy is only effective in some specific cancers like melanoma, lung cancer, and some blood cancers.

Conclusion

To conclude, chemotherapy and immunotherapy are two sides of the coin. The doctor prescribes each of them in accordance with the patient's need and body response. The way from chemotherapy to immunotherapy is a significant revolution in the cancer treatment journey. When it comes to chemotherapy, for long time it has long served as a basic and crucial option in cancer treatment by directly killing rapidly dividing cells, but it comes with its own limitations.
In contrast, immunotherapy represents a modern solution. By boosting the body’s immune system, Immunotherapies offer greater, longer-lasting responses and hope for patients. With the advanced research, the cancer treatment is moving forward with more personalized, specific, and combination therapies. It not only improves treatment results but also reflects a deeper understanding of oncology and immunology. The rise of immunotherapy is not just a change in treatment method; it also offers new hope and improved quality of life for millions of patients worldwide.